Education System Stifles Creativity, Say Teachers, Parents

Adobe survey highlights creativity

By Betsy Corcoran

June 24, 2013

Education System Stifles Creativity, Say Teachers, Parents

CC BY 2.0 velkr0

This just in: Testing and government mandates are stifling creativity in the classroom, according to parents and educators surveyed in report released by Adobe.

Last February, Adobe commissioned a survey of 4,000 adults--half teachers, half parents in grade up through university--on their impressions of education in the US, UK, Germany and Australia.

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Click above for the full infographic!

In many ways, the broad results will not surprise anyone: Just about everyone (or more than 85% of parents and educators) feel that to "foster creativity" in schools will force changes in how schools work.

Exactly what kinds of changes should happen, however, stirs more debate.

Q: What do you believe is the biggest barrier to teaching creativity in education?

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US parents worry the most about testing, followed by US teachers. By contrast, 15-17% of educators in Germany, the UK and Australia put the blame on "the current education curriculum." All other responses received something less than 15% of those surveyed.

Educators, especially in the US, also feel that they can do more to teach creativity--particularly with more resources:

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By contrast, most teachers in the other three countries surveyed said that teaching creativity is somebody else's job--namely another educator.

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The "single most important step" said respondents to promoting and fostering creativity? There's a divide with parents believing the answer is tools and training, and teachers who want to see creativity as more integral to the curriculum. Notably, parents--far more than teachers--said that "rewarding educators" was the first right step.

Q: What do you believe would be the single most important step to promote and foster creativity in education?

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